Getting married in the Ahrntal.

The Ahrntal branches off the Pustertal and runs north-east as a valley of its own, all the way to the Austrian border. It is narrower and higher than the Pustertal, and that shapes the light, the weather and the seasons.

The Ahr, the river the valley is named after, follows the road the whole way: a strong stream lower down, narrow and cold with glacier water further up.

Coming up from Sand in Taufers you reach Luttach and Weißenbach first, where the valley is still a little wider. Then comes St. Johann, and after it Steinhaus, with its church and the farms on the slopes above.

Further in lie St. Jakob and St. Peter, and then it narrows: Prettau is the last proper village, Kasern the last settlement before there is nothing but alpine meadows and, eventually, rock.

Rein in Taufers sits in a side valley of its own, branching off at Sand in Taufers, quieter still, in the middle of the Rieserferner-Ahrn nature park.

If you marry here and write to us, you will not have to explain the valley.

Above Steinhaus is the Klausberg, above Luttach the Speikboden. In winter they are ski areas; in summer they are the easiest way up to alpine meadows and open pastures.

For pictures they are good starting points: the cable car has you up in a few minutes, high enough for a clear view over the valley, without needing half a day for it. How far you walk from the top station is something we talk through beforehand. In wedding shoes, the first meadow is often enough.

In a narrow valley like this, cloud gets caught in the side valleys while the sun is already back out further up. It changes faster than you would think. We keep an eye on it instead of clinging to the schedule.

Because the valley is narrow, the sun drops behind the mountains early in some spots. We choose the places for your pictures with that in mind, where there is still light in the afternoon. For the pictures it is more of an advantage: where light and shadow sit this close together, they gain depth.

The farms in the Ahrntal stand on the slopes, built of wood and stone, with barns still in use. Many families have worked them for generations. If you celebrate on a farm here, you celebrate in a place that goes back to work the next morning.

Above them lie the alpine meadows, with cattle and open pasture through the summer. Some are half an hour's walk away, others considerably further. For the pictures the walk is worth it. Whether the reception can be up there too is a question of time and of your guests.

The village churches are small and stand in the middle of the village, with the farms on the slopes above.

Past Kasern it goes quiet. The road ends, and nobody comes past here by chance. If you marry here, that is exactly what you were after. The glaciers stand at the head of the valley.

From Kasern only hiking trails lead on into the high mountains. Nobody goes up there on their wedding day, but it explains why it is this quiet.

Spring arrives here two or three weeks later than down in the Pustertal. Autumn works the other way round: while it is still summer lower down, the first snow already lies at the head of the valley.

Church, farm and alpine meadow are often only minutes apart in the Ahrntal. That is time that stays with you and your guests instead of going into a car.

A few weeks ahead we go through the day with you: where there is still light in the evening once the valley floor is in shade, and which path up to the meadow still works for your guests.

Some couples use the day in both directions: ceremony in the village, pictures on the alp, reception back at the farm. It just needs a little more lead time.

Book photos and film together and two of us come. We do not need to confer in the middle of the ceremony. In the Ahrntal the distances are short, and the time that saves is yours.

What that looks like is on the photography and film pages. You can also book either on its own.